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Get the inside scoop on energy, technology, and all things Octopus.

What made you go solar?

We have a chat to Felicity and Roger about why they decided to install solar panels and make more conscious choices about how they are using electricity.

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Other things we're talking about

What made you go solar?

We have a chat to Felicity and Roger about why they decided to install solar panels and make more conscious choices about how they are using electricity.

Simon Coley

Designer

Solar Jargon Buster

Harnessing the sun’s energy isn’t new, but there is a lot of new equipment for turning sunshine into electricity, and new terminology. Sometimes you just can’t avoid these technical terms, so here’s Octopus Energy’s handy glossary to guide you through solar, electric vehicle, and energy jargon from AC to ZEV.

Simon Coley

Designer

How Does Solar Work?

Nearly 40% of our customer base have solar installed on their roof, giving Octopus Energy one of the highest proportions of solar customers in New Zealand. In December, our solar customers exported a massive 1.5GWh of electricity - excess electricity that they sold back into the grid for all New Zealanders to use. That’s about the same that 200 homes would consume in a year. New Zealand is getting long sunshine hours this summer, so it’s a good time to consider if solar is right for your home. Although many of our customers have solar, it’s still a relatively new way of managing your power and power bills. We’ll be posting these handy guides to help figure out if solar is for you.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Taking Your EV On A Road Trip

In 2023, one in four new cars were battery-electric or plug-in hybrids, so this summer holiday thousands of Kiwis will be making their first electric road trip. Here are our top tips for travelling long distances in an EV.

Simon Coley

Designer

Octopus Labs: An update on the Hot Water Trial

Since July 2022 we have been running a Hot Water Control trial to understand how much a customer can save from unnecessary hot water heating, by shifting electricity usage away from Peak times of day when electricity is the most expensive and generally has a higher carbon impact.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Summer Power Hacks

Hot summers bring on the hum of air conditioning, laundry loads of bathing suits and beach towels, cold beer fridges, ice-making freezers, party lights, and sound systems working overtime. All of which use electricity. Being prepared for summer highs can reduce your energy consumption, and keep monthly bills low.

Simon Coley

Designer

Our new Carbon Tracker

Have you ever wondered about the carbon impact of your electricity usage? Our new Carbon Tracker is here to help!

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

What's the big idea BlackRock?

When the world’s biggest fund management company say they’re going to invest 2 billion dollars in New Zealand’s transition to clean energy it’s bound to raise a few eyebrows and questions. So, here’s a few answers

Margaret Cooney

Chief Customer Officer

Hot Takes On Heat Pumps

They haven't been around for quite as long as electric radiators or hot water bottles, and they’re a lot less interesting to stare at than a fireplace, but a heat pump will make your home even cosier for a fraction of the cost.

Simon Coley

Designer

Kinloch Wilderness Retreat

Kinloch Wilderness Retreat is located in one of the most beautiful landscapes in New Zealand, at the top of Lake Wakatipu looking up into the Routeburn Valley and the confluence of the Dart and Rees rivers.

Simon Coley

Designer

Hacks for saving money in winter

Combat winter chills with these top tips to beat your power bill into submission and keep cosy

Simon Coley

Designer

E-bikes Aren't Just For Summer

When you’re prepared, winter commuting on your e-bike can be just as much fun as summer, and it’s easy on your wallet, and the planet.

Simon Coley

Designer

Is Solar Right For Me?

Solar panels are popping up on roofs all over the country, is it time you considered solar?

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Nikos hates pie charts

Nikos Fairburn, our Head of Operations, has a thing for pie charts, like the one we use to show the renewable electricity generated in New Zealand each month.

Nikos Fairburn

Head of Operations

Hacking hot water to save money

We’ve been figuring out how to turn your electric hot water cylinder into a smart device that can save you hundreds of dollars.

David Charlton

Head of New Energy Solutions

Easy as resolutions for 2023 to reduce your carbon footprint

There's never been a better time or a more compelling reason to use less power. It's cheaper and it's a sure fire way to combat global heating. Here are 10 ways to shrink your power bill and your carbon footprint in 2023

Simon Coley

Designer

People Have the Power: Rich, The Marlborist

People Have the Power is a content series bringing you people from around New Zealand who are focussed on living a more sustainable lifestyle, be that through the home, work or travel.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

People Have the Power: Dave Stubbs

People Have the Power is a content series bringing you people from around New Zealand who are focussed on living a more sustainable lifestyle, be that through the home, work or travel.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Trouble paying your power bill

It’s getting harder to make ends meet so if you’re having difficulty paying your electricity bill, or think you will, please call.  If you genuinely don’t have enough money, we can help.

Simon Coley

Designer

Behind the Octopus - Ahalya Nair

We're a few months into our journey and we're already making energy affordable and easy-as for thousands of Kiwis. We wanted to introduce you to some of the team.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Octopus leads the charge for EV owners

Charging your electric vehicle while out and about just got easier.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

How to read your electricity bill

Every billing period, which is typically one month, we send you a power bill and debit your bank account for the amount. Your bill is emailed to you and comes in two parts: an email summary, and a statement with an invoice, attached as a pdf.

Simon Coley

Designer

Behind the Octopus - David Charlton

We're a few months into our journey and we're already making energy affordable and easy-as for thousands of Kiwis. We wanted to introduce you to some of the team.

Monique O'Malley

Head of Marketing

Take the shock out of your electricity usage

There aren’t many things to do around the house without electricity. A cup of tea, a text message, a spot of vacuuming, help with homework or just chillin’ with your favourite streaming service, all use tiny amounts of electricity. Baking a cake uses a bit more.

Simon Coley

Designer

Aotearoa’s future of low battery anxiety

As we move towards 100% renewable energy, how do we keep up with the demand of greater electrification and shift away from expensive peaks? Demand response technology.

Margaret Cooney

Chief Customer Officer

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